Time for decisive battle, say kin of CRPF men martyred in past Naxal attacks

Days after 25 CRPF personnel were killed in a Naxal ambush in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, the relatives of brave hearts who made the supreme sacrifice before them have called for a final battle.

Three families in rural areas of Allahabad, based on their experiences of unfulfilled promises by the governments of the day, are demanding a proper system of regular follow up to ensure timely action.

They have demanded that the government should launch a decisive battle to free the nation of Naxal menace.

“Tall promises are made at the time of every such incident but governments rarely fulfil promises. My daughter-in-law Rekha, wife of my martyred son Babulal, has not received pension for the last four months. She was pregnant when my son died in line of duty. Her son Ansh is now three years’ old. We have raised him on stories of bravery of his father but shouldn’t the government ensure dignity for the family of soldiers?” asks Munni Lal, 70, a resident of Shivlal-ka-Pura village in Nawabganj, Allahabad.

Babulal, a CRPF jawan, died in a gunbattle with Naxals in the jungles of Latehar in Jharkhand on January 8, 2013.

“At the time of Babulal’s martyrdom, the chief minister, MP, MLA and DM all made a number of promises but they remain unfulfilled. The then MP Kapil Muni Karwariya had promised money for a memorial and urged the gram sabha to make land available for it. I visited Vikas Bhawan in Allahabad city a number of times but was informed there is no provision for a construction of a memorial under the MP’s fund,” said Munni Lal.

He even visited the CM’s residence thrice to forward his application but in vain.

“Even the gate constructed at the village in the honour of Babulal is in a pathetic condition for want of funds,” he added.

“The government should avenge the sacrifice made by my son and others like him by finishing off the Naxals,” said Jagpati with tears in her eyes.

Suresh Kumar Tiwari, 62, a resident of Jurapur Biher village of Holagarh tehsil in Allahabad, is equally upset. His son Varun Tiwari, a CRPF jawan, died when a landmine blew up a CRPF vehicle in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on June 15, 2015.

“My wife and I are surviving somehow. The promises of three bigha land and a memorial for my son were made by the leaders but nothing happened. I met district administration officials many a times but no action was taken,” said Suresh Tiwari who has now sent a letter to new UP CM Yogi Adityanath seeking his intervention.

Two of Varun’s three daughters, Sonika and Monika, are now married but Suresh is more worried about the marriage of his youngest granddaughter Anamika.

“We had applied for a government job for Anamika on compassionate grounds but the department says a clearance from home ministry is required. The promise of a petrol pump and gas agency have also not materialised,” he added.

“Our soldiers are being killed and mutilated by the Naxals but the government is dragging its feet on action against them. I call for an all out battle to wipe out such forces,” he added.

In Bajaha village of Nawabganj, Prithvi Lal and his wife Prabha Devi had lost their son Mukesh on December 1, 2014. Mukesh died fighting the Naxals at Hathigumpha in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.

“We were surviving on a pension of Rs 17,800 but it has also been stopped since January 2017. The present deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya had promised a memorial for my son at that time while the DM had promised two bigha land. The memorial was never constructed while the land allotted to us was a disputed one. We are yet to get its possession,” shared Prabha Devi.

Prithvi Lal said even the hand-pump promised by the then MLA Ansar Ahmad has not been installed. “I believe if the government becomes resolute, the menace can be uprooted. It is time for a proper offensive and a policy to end Naxalism,” he added.

Prithvi Lal’s daughter Manita has been appointed in CRPF on compassionate grounds and is presently undergoing training. “My daughter will lead the attack if government goes all out against the naxals,” he said.